Six years ago, our co-founder, Courtney Heard, helped launch the #FreeMubarak social media campaign after her friend, Mubarak Bala, had been committed to a psychiatric hospital for being an atheist. After getting the attention of major news outlets like the BBC, The Guardian, The AP and Vice, Mubarak was finally freed. In the time since, he has become a prolific humanist activist in Nigeria, helping the secular movement grow there.

This morning, we got word that Mubarak has been arrested in Nigeria and this time, he’s in custody due to public complaints of insulting "The Prophet". He has not been formally charged.

We reached out to Mubarak’s colleague at the Humanist Association of Nigeria, Leo Igwe and he has informed us that they are looking for a lawyer tomorrow.

Understand that this is personal for us. Mubarak is a valued member of our advisory board. He’s also a colleague and friend. This person takes compassion and selflessness to another level. When he was freed from the psychiatric ward back in 2014, we launched a second campaign to bring him to North America, where he would be safe from this sort of thing. He opted out of that, knowing that his activism was needed more in Nigeria. He stayed, despite the willingness of many people to fight for him to come here, and despite the danger he faced, because he knew someone had to do something to change the atmosphere in Nigeria.

Mubarak Bala must be freed. We need to get him a capable lawyer and we need your help to do that. Even just a dollar will help pay for Mubarak’s legal representation in Nigeria. Please donate and if you can’t donate, please share this everywhere. We cannot and will not stand by while one of our own is arrested for simply not believing in a god.

This is your chance to make a difference. Let’s do this. Let’s #FreeMubarakBala